The following are
paraphrases of today's questions for oral answer. They are
not complete or official, the official record of
Parliamentary proceedings is Hansard, which is not finalised
till some days after the event.

SCOOP COVERAGE
BEGINS

Question 1.

JANET MACKEY (Labour) to
the Minister of State Services Trevor Mallard:

Q: What
progress, if any, has there been on the prison industrial
relations situation since mid-August?

A: No progress has
been made since mid August. Stop work meetings have been
held. Although the action is described as low level it is
also corrosive. Reports indicate the Corrections Association
is considering extending their action indefinitely. This is
not sustainable. If current actions continue, management say
they will have no option other than to suspend the staff
involved.

Q: When will a settlement be made? And is the
army ready?

A: It is very hard to indicate when a
settlement is likely. The police and army have been
training. They are ready. However the actions of the prison
officers is corrosive and if it continues for much longer it
will interfere with the training for forces bound for
Timor.

Q: Is management planning to lock out prison
officers?

A: This is entirely in the hands of the
officers. One of the unions has decided to take a
non-negotiable stance in this dispute. Management may be
left with no option other than to use provisions available
under the ERA. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

Question 2.

OWEN JENNINGS (ACT) to the Minister of
Defence Mark Burton:

Q: How many times has he met in his
office the Chief of Defence Force and does he believe that
the Chief of Defence Force has had an acceptable level of
access to him as Minister?

A: I have met with the CDF on
average once a week, mostly in my office?

Q: Can he deny
that in his first six months as Minister he had less than
three one to one meetings? And if so how many meetings did
he have?

A: I think I can, but I do not have the exact
figures here.

Q: Is the CDF happy about his access?

A:
Yes. Earlier this year he said so.

(Rodney Hide – leave
to table written questions – refused.)

Question
3.

Rt Hon JENNY SHIPLEY (National) to the Prime
Minister Helen Clark:

Q: In light of her comments that it
was outrageous for Kit Richards to engage in highly
political activity while a State employee and her comment
that he had engaged in "guerrilla warfare", are the same
standards expected of the Army?

A: Yes. I do not expect
the Army to be involved in any warfare without Government
approval.

Q: Does she consider the allegations made by
David Dickens that Army personnel were leaking information
to an inner group in the opposition aimed at knocking down
the F16 proposal as guerilla warfare?

A: I would observe
that Mr Dickens appears to be the recipient of buckets full
of leaks that he passes on to Max Bradford. The letter
written by Lieutenant Colonel Gordon is presently being
examined by legal staff and a formal investigation may
follow.

Q: In light of the investigation into the Gordon
letter, does she support a Select Committee Inquiry into
this matter?

A: I am aware that the Committee at the time
was chaired by Derek Quigley, and I think he was more than
capable of seeing through any manipulation.

Q: Does she
think it is strange that the National Party appears to only
be opposed to equipping our armed forces with equipment
usable for peace keeping?

A: I fully understand Air Force
officers feeling a sense of regret at some Government
policies. However I understand they are loyally implementing
those policies.

Q: Will she deny that she met two Army
Generals to discuss detailed costings to knock down the F16
proposal?

A: I am not aware that those people had such
information. I did not discuss such information with them.
And I can tell you the information the Government eventually
got was only got after considerable work by Treasury and
Derek Quigley.

Question 4.

DAMIEN O'CONNOR
(Labour) to the Minister of Health Annette King:

Q: How
many candidates have been nominated for the first elections
to district health boards?

A: At the latest count there
were 1090 nominations for 147 vacancies. Clearly the number
of candidates is a victory for democracy.

Q: Has the
Minister seen any reports about predictions about
nominations.

A: Yes. In the Dominion on August 22nd Roger
Sowry asked whether NZers would be bothered standing.

Q:
Will the Minister be more willing to listen more to pleas
for extra funding from elected members.

A: The minister
is willing to listen to both elected and appointed
members.

Question 5.

Hon MAX BRADFORD
(National) to the Minister of Defence Mark Burton:

Q:
What was discussed at his dinner with senior army officers,
including Major General Dodson, on 15 February 2000 at the
Wellington Club?

A: The dinner was a chance to meet
Wellington based officers. I had just returned from East
Timor, so we discussed that. We also discussed family
connections and martial arts.

Q: Were any of the matters
contained in the Gordon letter discussed at the dinner?

A:
No. I became aware of that document yesterday. My view is
that it is a foolish document and certainly I did not
discuss it over that dinner. I also have dinner and lunch
with Naval and Air Force personnel.

Q: Was this dinner a
unique occasion, or has he had lots of dinners with Army
officers?

A: I have had occasional dinners with various
officers from all three of the services.

Q: Ron Mark (NZ
First): Does he recall a meeting with General Dodson in his
office after receiving advice from the CDF which the General
himself appears to have no recollection of?

A: I do
recall the meeting. Although the member’s telling of the
sequence of events is incorrect. I requested a further
report from the CDF. That briefing took place with another
officer than General Dodson.

Q: Now he has described the
Colonel Gordon letter as foolish, will he be seeking his
resignation?

A: I did not describe it as an official
document. Last evening when I tasked the CDF with inquiring
into this matter they agreed to do so. I do not hire and
fire Lieutenant Colonels. The CDF will provide advice once
he has the facts at his disposal.

Question 6.

MAHARA OKEROA (Labour) to the Minister of State Services
Trevor Mallard:

Q: In light of Dr Francis Small's report
on the INCIS project, what steps has he taken to improve
monitoring of information technology projects in the public
service?

A: In April the government indicated it would
accept all the recommendations in Dr Small’s report. Today I
am releasing new guidelines to Government Departments.
Issuing guidelines is one way of helping departments, but
broader strategies and skilled people are also needed.

Q:
Will the guidelines modernise the Public Sector? And will
new projects contain proper project management
disciplines?

A: That is the objective.

Q: Nandor Tanczos
(Green): Will this include the offender management system
for the Department of Corrections?

A: If it is a project
were purchasing has not occurred yet then the answer is
yes.

Question 7.

Hon BILL ENGLISH (National) to
the Minister for State Owned Enterprises Mark Burton:

Q:
In light of his statements to the House that he had received
reports on the minutes of the New Zealand Post Ltd board
meeting at which "board approval" was given to issue
proceedings against Hon Richard Prebble, what specific words
in the board minutes record the approval of the board to
this action?

A: The board minutes of 21 February and 21
March have been approved as . I do not hold the minutes or
any other SOE minutes.

Q: When will he take the
allegations about this matter seriously.

A: The advice I
have is from the Company Secretary and I have to accept his
word in that regard. I have received no advice from any
director that the minutes of 21 February or March are
incorrect.

Q: Why given that he has had four hours to
answer this question why has he not got the minutes?

A:
Far from treating the house with contempt I have tried to
provide further information.

Q: Richard Prebble (ACT): As
he has had a statement from Bill English and myself that we
have been told by directors that there was no meeting, does
he not accept that he has an obligation to check the minutes
himself?

A: Far from being indifferent I have
confirmation from the Company Secretary that the minutes are
accurate.

Q: Has he asked the Chairman or questioned the
other directors, as asked to do so by this house?

A: I
have raised the matter with the Company Secretary. I have
further confirmed the information with the Chair of NZ
Post.

Question 8.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (NZ
First) to the Prime Minister Helen Clark:

Q: When did the
Minister of Defence or any other Minister or official first
tell her there was to be an escalation in costs of around
$488 million from $212 million to around $700 million for
the purchase of the LAV111s, and what was her response?

A:
I understand the history is as follows. In June 2000 we were
advised the cost would significantly exceed the $212 million
allocated. I would have been made aware in the lead up to a
cabinet committee meeting in September about this.

Q: Why
then did they go ahead with this purchase regardless of the
cost blowout?

A: It was clear before the election even
that the $212 million was not enough for the required number
of vehicles. I have a minute from before the election in
which Max Bradford asked for $487 million for the purchase
of 127 vehicles.

Q: What has been the major factor leading
to cost increases?

A: The cost is affected by movements in
the exchange rate. Hedging contracts are now in place to
prevent cost increases from that source.

Q: How can we
have any confidence in the final cost figures given they
have been provided by the same people who mucked this up
before?

A: As the member would be aware there are a
number of players involved in this.

Q: Does the PM find
it acceptable, given that the tender closed in December
1999, that the Minister of Defence was not told of the cost
blowout till June 2000, and that she was not told till
September 2000?

A: It is clear that Ministers were not
advised of some things at the time they should have
been.

Q: Does she agree that there was a massive
escalation in another defence project, project Sirius?

A:
I do not want to blame the past government for this. There
are always cost blowouts, it seems, in defence
projects.

Q: What reports has he requested or received
about the effects of the electricity crisis on the profits
of the Government-owned electricity companies?

A: I
receive regular reports on all SOEs.

Q: Why then has he
refused 10 times to answer questions in this house on
this?

A: As previously indicated, audited accounts will
be tabled when available as proscribed in the SOE Act.

Q:
Has he seen any SOE initiatives relevant to this?

A: SOEs
are making a number of steps to increase capacity in the
future.

Q: Is he telling us he hasn’t received any reports
on these profits?

A: No. I have unaudited reports received
under an obligation of confidence. To receive information
without proper confirmation would be wrong. There is a
provision under the Act and I will comply with it.

Q: Does
he plan to invest SOE profits in alternative energy
projects?

A: I can confirm that my colleague the Minister
of Energy is actively encouraging a wide range of
alternative energy measures.

Question 11.

KEITH
LOCKE (Green) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Jim Sutton:

Q: Has the Government been supporting
attempts in the United Nations Security Council to establish
a United Nations observer force in the occupied territories
of the West Bank and Gaza to protect the Palestinian
people?

A: NZ continues to support all initiatives to
restore calm in the region. Our mission in New York has been
attending a meeting of the Security Council on this which,
on the last report, was deadlocked over what to do.

Q:
What is the Government doing about the assassination and
collective punishment policies of Israel?

A: My colleague
Phil Goff has made our position clear on a number of
occasions. We deplore the violence. We encourage the parties
to follow the Mitchell Report. A return to negotiations is
inevitable and should take place as soon as possible.

Q:
If peace keepers were approved, would the government send
NZers?

A: We would certainly consider contributing to a
peace keeping force, but first there must be a peace to
keep.

Q: Rodney Hide (ACT) Did the government seek to
establish an observer force in Afghanistan?

A: I don’t
know.

Q: Given the government is supporting efforts in the
UN, is it also encouraging the US to redouble its diplomatic
efforts in the region?

A: I am not briefed on that matter
but I imagine the government is supportive of the US in
everything it is doing.

Q: Winston Peters (NZ First)
Having regard to government precedent did we send observers
to Cambodia to protect the people against Pol Pot?

A:
No.

Q: What is the government doing to support the
withdrawal of Israel’s forces from occupied Palestine as
required by UN resolutions?

Q: Is the Government considering underwriting or
investing in Air New Zealand, rather than allowing
commercial interests to invest in the company; if so,
why?

A: Government has made no decisions yet, and will
not be able to do so until the company is clear about its
business plan and capital requirements.

Q: Will the
government procrastinate further?

A: The member should not
believe the Dominion or the NZ Herald. The fact that Air New
Zealand has delayed its financial statements does not
suggest that the government is responsible for that.

Q:
Has the government delayed its decision timetable?

A: No
the timetable is dictated by Air New Zealand and to a lesser
extent Singapore.

Q: Why did the Government not make BIL
sell the shares it is not entitled to hold in Air New
Zealand last year?

A: Whether or not BIL sells its shares
has no impact on recapitalisation of Air New Zealand. Share
sales by shareholders do not capitalise companies. The
overriding interest of the Government in this matter is to
ensure the survival of Air New Zealand as a strong brand and
preserving New Zealand’s international carriage rights.

Q:
What assurance can he give the Government will not risk
taxpayer dollars?

A: I find it difficult to give an answer
consistent with the public interest on this. However to
repeat the PMs comments it is not the government’s
preference to invest.

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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